The wind howled through the night as a figure stumbles up the decaying stone stairs, each step heavier than the last. Jagged rocks sliced through their dirty coat, but they barely notice the pain anymore. Bloodied wings dragging behind them as they struggle to lift them as exhaustion takes its toll. The path ahead was steep, yet there are many following them up to the bleak temple, its caved in roof doing little against the stormy sky, illuminated by a single dim light from the moon.
"Heretics, Heathens! These ponies no longer follow the true faith of the Solar Goddess!" accusations continue to echo in the minds of the ponies.
Everything they left behind had already turned to ash. Their home, their kin, their world. The faith they once held closely has been reduced to dust, like the cracked stone beneath their hooves. Now, all that was left was to reach the end of their chosen path. they listlessly climb those steps toward something considered unthinkable, but they knew deep down that it was necessary.
"Burn the dens of debauchery! Burn everything and give them their last true blessing of our goddess!" the raging inferno burned in the memories of the group, the screams of their loved ones echoing in terror, followed by the trauma of witnessing the final 'blessing'.
Each felt like a prayer, though it was not born of hope. This was a plea-nay, a demand-for something that cannot be undone, the silence stretches on for far too long. The goddess Nightmare Moon-the queen of the Endless Void-the forsaken one-would hear them. They will stand before her desecrated altar and cry out her name, not for mercy, but for her final curse.
Lightning split the sky, illuminating the ruined temple below. It's once-holy walls depicting a forgotten time, a rotted and decayed mural of another goddess, the symbols of her grace long since defiled. The mare's breath caught in her throat as the ponies pushed through the heavy doors, using the last of their strength.
They had nothing left to lose. Only in the cold embrace of the void could they find the peace they desired. Only in her darkness could they be free...
“Mommy, why do we celebrate the lunar festival?” a young foal innocently asked her mother.
“Because, my darling, long ago there were two goddesses-one who ruled over day and the other over night. We honor them both for the lives we have,” a light peach-colored pegasus answered her child.
“Ohhhh~ well then, I love them both-” Just before she could finish, the memory shifted. All the mother saw was fire as she desperately dug her hooves through the burning walls of the place she once called home, haunted by the terrified cries of her daughter screaming for her mommy.
Shaking her head to focus on the task at hoof, dry tears matting her face, she abandoned all hope. Beginning the ritual in the desecrated temple, she placed the ashes and charred remains of their loved ones, calling out to Nightmare Moon-not for mercy, but for her wrath. They wanted to be damned, to be abandoned, believing that her 'hollow light' was all that remained in Equus. Steeling her heart, she embraced the heresy they had all been accused of, seeking not salvation from the pain, but oblivion. Here, they performed heretical acts, chanting blackened prayers to defy the old faith, seeking to plunge themselves and everything into the abyss.
No pony knows for sure if she will respond or whether her power will manifest to answer their prayers. She feels the encroaching cold, death's icy grip threatening to drag her to damnation, believing this to be the answer-a sign that their pleas have been heard.
"Grant us your heresy, damn us to the abyss! O Merciless One, this is our twisted wish. In your void, all our souls belong; abandon us as we sing your forgotten psalm. O Nightmare, in your cold domain, take us all-let nothing remain!" She screamed out to the altar where the ashes lay, feeling energy return to her as she grew closer to the goddess.
"The faithful fall, dying in her name, their prayers unanswered, yet they burn all the same. O Goddess of the Void, can you hear? Heretics cry out your name; the end is near!" A voice from her blinded neighbor rose beside her after she paused to catch her breath, self-inflicted scars marking his skin.
"O, let the endless night descend, where light and love come to an end. Your heretical grace, so cold, so damned-in your grace, we will forever take our stand. In your desecrated temple, the souls wail, my kin, like ashes, forgotten and pale," the old mare in the back continued, regaining her vigor at the sight of the hollow light as the sounds of the dead echoed around the halls.
"O Goddess, hear our dying cries! Your hollow light, forever in our eyes!" The anguished cries of the hundreds of dead echoed in unison, pleading for something. The wrongness of it all was felt by every plant and animal surrounding the temple; life itself trembled at what was transpiring.
Shadows spread from the altar as the night sky empties, life withering as darkness consumes the grounds of the unholy site. Souls rejoice in jubilation as they are dragged into the depths of the void-into endless darkness- tearing the fabric of reality for their Mother of the Eternal Abyss.
In the lifeless halls, a chilling sound of slow, menacing laughter resonates from the stone walls. As the mare of darkness, the lady of the void, Nightmare Moon rose up to her full height and terrifying glory.
"I hope you missed me, dear sister," she chuckled softly, a menacing smile spreading across her face as she glided off the altar. Trotting past her 'faithful,' she made her way to the large doors. With a final glance behind, she watched as the soulless bodies lay there, their faces adorned with peaceful smiles.
"Sleep well, my little ponies." she says to the departed.
Author's Note
Okay, how this came to be: I was originally writing a poem for Nightmare Moon, but I felt that I needed to do more with it. So, I made an account here to expand it even more. After many rewrites, I think I did alright.
Will there be more? No, it took me long enough to do this.
*grumbles about grammar.*
